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Life in North America Before 1492 is a free printable Grade 3 to Grade 5 social studies worksheet on how nations lived and traded before Europeans arrived, aligned to C3 Framework indicator D2.Geo.4.3-5. It prints 8 questions with an answer key on its own sheet of paper, in 25 versions that each ask different questions, so no two students in the class work from the same page. Print it from the browser or download it as a PDF — no account, no email.

Set 17 of 25 · the same problems every time you open this link.

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Set 1 has all 25 in a single PDF. All 25 sets ask different questions.

Life in North America Before 1492

D2.Geo.4.3-5

NameDate

Choose the best answer.

1.Why did nations in different regions live in such different homes?
  • A.They all lived in the same kind of home
  • B.Each used the materials and climate of its own land
  • C.One ruler told them all what to build
2.Before horses came, what did dogs pull for Plains peoples?
  • A.Wagons on iron rails
  • B.Mail carts
  • C.Loads on wooden frames called travois
3.Which is true of the peoples of North America before 1492?
  • A.There were hundreds of nations with different languages and ways of life
  • B.No one lived in North America
  • C.They all spoke one language
4.How did peoples of the Pacific Northwest use their forests and rivers?
  • A.They built cedar plank houses and fished for salmon
  • B.They herded cattle and horses
  • C.They built adobe pueblos
5.How did Ancestral Puebloans adapt to the dry Southwest?
  • A.They fished for salmon in the ocean
  • B.They built igloos
  • C.They built homes in cliffs and stored water and crops
6.Before Europeans brought horses, how did Plains peoples hunt bison?
  • A.From trains
  • B.On foot, sometimes driving herds over cliffs
  • C.On horseback with rifles
7.How did the Hohokam farm the desert of what is now Arizona?
  • A.They planted rice in swamps
  • B.They waited for snow
  • C.They dug long canals to bring river water to their fields
8.About how many people may have lived in Cahokia at its largest?
  • A.About 50
  • B.Perhaps 10,000 to 20,000
  • C.About 10 million

LessonPrint · D2.Geo.4.3-5 · Set 17 · free to copy for classroom use

Answer key — Life in North America Before 1492

Set 17. Prints on its own sheet.

  1. 1.Each used the materials and climate of its own land
  2. 2.Loads on wooden frames called travois
  3. 3.There were hundreds of nations with different languages and ways of life
  4. 4.They built cedar plank houses and fished for salmon
  5. 5.They built homes in cliffs and stored water and crops
  6. 6.On foot, sometimes driving herds over cliffs
  7. 7.They dug long canals to bring river water to their fields
  8. 8.Perhaps 10,000 to 20,000

Last reviewed 2026-09-05. Aligned to D2.Geo.4.3-5 of the C3 Framework for Social Studies State Standards.